Guide for Pelt Care

[jstahlberg]

This may have been discussed before, but I was looking for a good resource that can describe the finer points of pelt care for black bear, including how to properly take the paws out of the pelt, how to remove the skull, and how to turn the lips, ears, and eyes. All of these things are foreign to me, but with my planning for spring trips I'd like to familiarize myself with the techniques for these so that, assuming conditions make it less than optimal to just leave that stuff to the taxidermist, I can do it myself in the field. I've found an Alaska Fish and Game guide that is pretty handy, but I was hoping someone may be able to link a guide that shows color photos of the process or better yet a video. Thanks!

 

[Ntuttle15]

Also interested in this.. I have a scrubby little pelt from last fall I've saved that I wanna try to tan myself. Haven't had the time yet.

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[Operator]

I too am interested, I plan to get a bear tag along with an elk tag this fall.

 

[Buffalo]

I had to learn the hide prep myself this year too. I watched this series of videos (this is part 1):

Backcountry hunting podcast episode 19 has some good info from Tyler Freel too, just no visuals. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/backcountry-hunting-podcast/id1455406581?i=1000437541321

 

[Coveyleader]

Just an FYI Pelt should never be used when talking about bears……

Jimmy shot a 7 foot bear, the hide was flawless.

Joey shot a dink last night, the size of the bear fooled him, it can’t be 100lbs. Yeah but at least it has a nice “Pelt”

Don’t be a “Joey”

 

[Truaxdw]

I would check out YouTube, Buy the right knife it will help and practice on hides that you don’t care about, May be a deer or Even fresh roadkill

 

[Erict]

This may be a bit older, but don't let that stop you - this guy explains it all well. The cuts you make are going to depend on what you plan on doing with the hide - rug, full body mount, "shoulder" mount, etc. - make sure to talk to the taxidermist before the trip. Good luck!

 

[BDWMT]

Tagging in as well for any tips and experiences

 

[WCB]

contact a taxidermist or taxidermy supply company for tips or educational videos. A more important step would be to PRACTICE. Kill some coyotes or raccoons and practice...anatomy is a bit different of coarse but you definitely don't want your first time turning lips or splitting ears to be in a backcountry camp in crap weather or away from any ability to look up and refresh your memory.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

I produced this video years back. 3-disc set covers bear and caribou with demonstration in the field AND a proper education from a taxidermist to show the finer details of the processes. Very well done and extremely detailed.

Wilderness Taxidermy

This instructional DVD package delivers Float Draggin’ Adventure, Demonstration Techniques, and Professional Taxidermy Instruction on Bear, Caribou, and Moose.

pristineventures.com

 

[jstahlberg]

This may be a bit older, but don't let that stop you - this guy explains it all well. The cuts you make are going to depend on what you plan on doing with the hide - rug, full body mount, "shoulder" mount, etc. - make sure to talk to the taxidermist before the trip. Good luck!

This is a great resource. Thanks for sharing!

 

[D.Blake]

Totally depends on the scenario, but on my bear we just skinned it down to the wrists and cut the wrist off right there, leaving the paw attached with the bones/meat still in. It made it heavier, but it was pitch black and pouring rain. The hide was already soaked and plenty heavy!

Same thing with the skull, skinned up to where the last vertebrae meets the skull and popped it off right there.

The taxidermist said this was just fine to do. The biggest thing is moving quickly after you have the hide off. get it on ice and get it frozen or to the taxidermist asap. They can start slipping and go bad far quicker than the meat.

 

[william schmaltz]

If you have the facebook, Dahlberg's Taxidermy (Jesse Dahlberg) put together some pretty good videos a few years ago walking through skinning out a bear hide. He goes over it all from a full bear to removing the paws and turning ears/lips. I typically break em off at the wrist and bring em out with the paws and head in and then deal with that at the pickup or at home. Unless I have a very long way to go, then it's worth it to ditch the tongue, lower jaws, paws, etc. in the field.